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Melissa Osgood

A trio of leaders from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) have been named to a new commission tasked with addressing domestic and global food security challenges and ensuring universal food security by 2050.

Kathryn J. Boor, the Ronald P. Lynch Dean of CALS; Michael Hoffman, executive director of the Cornell Institute for Climate Change and Agriculture; and Per Pinstrup-Andersen, professor emeritus in nutrition and economics, will provide critical insights as part of the new commission convened by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU). Other members include scholars in the agricultural, biological, physical and social sciences, as well as development experts, public university administrators and former senior government officials.

The goal of the commission is to draw on the capabilities of public research universities to develop a sustainable food security model to feed a global population expected to swell past 9 billion by mid-century. Members are tasked with identifying the research, education and engagement efforts that public and land-grant universities can develop to ensure food security in the U.S. and around the world.

“We are at a critical point in human history in which booming population growth coincides with reduced access to land and water resources, exacerbated by a shifting global climate,” said Boor. “CALS and other land-grant institutions are particularly well-positioned to address these global challenges thanks to our legacy of learning, discovery and engagement. I am very honored to have been selected as a member of the committee and look forward to working with my APLU peers on these vital issues.”

The commission is expected to issue a report in early 2017 with recommendations for how public research universities can align their agendas to meet the challenge. The commission also expects to provide the new presidential administration with recommendations on how it can provide federal support to bolster research efforts.

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation provided financial support for the commission.